Pick up station mechanism for a knitting machine



Sept. 12, 1967 w E. SPENCER 3,340,705

PICK UP STATION MECHANISM FOR A KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 5, 1965 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 WALTER ESPENCER.

A TTORNE V Sept. 12, 1967 w. E. SPENCER 3,340,705

PICK UP STATION MECHANISM FOR A KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 3, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNE Y p 1967 w. E. SPENCER 3,340,705

PICK UP STATION MECHANISM FOR A KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 3, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet AA A INVENTOR.

WALTER ESPENCER.

A TTORNE Y United States Patent 3,340,705 PICK UP STATION MECHANISM FOR A KNITTING MACHINE Walter E. Spencer, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Wildman Jacquard C0., Norristown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 3, 1965, Ser. No. 452,743 2 Claims. (Cl. 66-14) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A selectively adjustable hold-in plate for circular knitting machines of the double cylinder type adapted to be adjustably positioned in close proximity with the cylinders at pick up stations for uprighting displaced needles and maintaining all needles at these stations in a perpendicular position.

This invention pertains to circular knitting machines of the axially opposed, double-cylinder type wherein doubleended latch needles may be transferred from one cylinder to the other selectively according to the prearranged requirements of the knitted article. More particularly, the invention pertains to improvements in needle control at those positions around the outer periphery of the cylinders known generally in the knitting art as pick up stations.

In a circular knitting machine of the type described an operational defect known as a press-off may occur for any one of a number of causes and will in every case signal for a machine stop. To initiate a start-up following such an automatic stop, a manual operation is'required which involves picking up the pressed-off material by some hooking means and re-attaching some of the cast olf loops to the now empty needles. With extreme care and skill it is possible in some cases to load, or apply a loop to, each empty needle but this is very difiicult and cannot be accomplished by an unskilled operator. If each empty needle has been loaded with a pick up end, a start-up may be made without incident as each needle is held against the cylinder wall be the tension of the inwardly suspended knitted material. However, if all the needles in a group are not loaded, the previously knitted material may be stretched between two loaded needles which are separated by one or more unloaded needles. In such a case those unloaded needles tend to be pressed outwardly from their cylinder slots by the taut or bunched u material.

When unloaded needles are pressed outwardly, they are not in a proper position to be accepted by the upper jack when it is lowered to effect transfer to the upper cylinder. It is common practice to use jacks of the latch opening type which have a chisel shaped end for passing in front of the needle hook and opening the latch just prior to each needle transfer. When the needle is not completely perpendicular, as in the case above, the chisel end of the jack will pass between the needle and the cylinder wall and the needle will be forced outwardly even further to where it may be destroyed by portions of the rotating machine. Skilled operators have been able in the past to overcome this problem by jogging the machine while manually depressing the incorrectly positioned needles with a blunt instrument such as a screwdriver.

According to the instant invention it will not require the previously needed skill or care to elfect a start-up after a press-off of the fabric. A needle retaining means, having camming surfaces to return to needles to a perpendicular position and retain them in that position while transfer is made, will be disclosed herein.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a means at a pick up station which will retain the needles in the cylinder slots even though they may be urged outwardly by the pick up ends.

If is a further object of the invention to provide a hold in means which will straighten up those needles forced out of plumb by pick up ends or bunched up material.

It is a further object of the invention to provide at each pick up station a protective means for those needles not loaded with a pick up end prior to their transfer to the upper cylinder.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as further details are disclosed. The invention will be described by reference to a specific embodiment thereof as shown in the accompanying figures of drawing, wherein:

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are vertical sections through the knitting area of a superimposed needle cylinder machine showing the position of a needle and its needle jacks relative to those sectional lines depicted on FIG. 6;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the needle retaining means and needle positioning cam;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a development of the upper and lower cam systems at a pick up station of a circular knitting machine.

Now referring to FIG. 1, which shows a fragmentary portion of a double cylinder machine, the general construction of which is well known, two superimposed, aligned cylinders 11 and 12 form the needle beds which are slotted as at 13 and 14 to slidably contain doubleended needles 15 and needle jacks 16 and 17. The adjacent edges of the cylinders are spaced apart as at 13 to permit passage of the knitted material from the needles 15 downwardly through the cylinder 12 as is usual in this type of machine.

Cam rings 19 and 20 are mounted outside each cylinder 11 and 12 (FIG. 1) and carry the members which form the cam paths shown in FIG. 6. A butt portion 21 and 22 of each jack 16 and 17 extends into its particular cam path and, by following its dictates, provides the vertical motion to the needle 15. Two jacks, one in each needle bed, are provided to operate each needle and they lie in the vertically opposed slots of their respective needle.

Pick up stations may be positioned at several points around the circular machine but, as all are exact duplicates, only one will be explained herein. Following a press-off which will have stopped the machine, the operative takes a position at a station in order to pick up the lost ends and load them back upon the empty needles. Often every needle is not loaded with the pick up ends but may be forced outwardly from the needle slot. This condition would tip the upper end of the needle away from the cylinder and place it in a position to be struck by the chisel end 23 of the upper jack 16 when brought downward by the cam track. The jack end 23 would then be forced between the cylinder wall and the needle, which would move the needle into a position where it could be damaged by the rotating parts. The instant invention offers means for correcting this condition.

An upwardly extending bracket 24 is securely fastened to the lower cam ring 20 (FIG. 5) in any suitable manner as by a screw 25 and a key 26 to avoid the possibility of movement. Bracket 24 has a generally horizontally extending upper arm 27 to which a plate member 28 is adjustably fastened by a screw 29 (FIGS. 4 and 5) through a slot 30. An adjusting screw 31 is threaded into the arm 27 and has a flanged head 32 which is set to rotate in a groove cut in the plate 28. Screw 31 offers minute horizontal adjustments to the plate 28 to move it toward or away from the needle 15 (FIG. 1).

The plate 28 (FIG. 4) has two contacting edges for meeting the needles and for holding them in a perpendicular position. The first to be contacted is an inwardly directed camrning surface 33 which will press the needles back into their slots, and secondly, a curved supporting surface 34 generally concentric with the cylinders.

In operation, the needles pass through the pick up station generally designated 35 (FIG. 6) and are held at a pick up station position by the lower cam track shown by section line 11 (FIG. 6) with the needle at a height shown in FIG. 1. After the pick up ends have been loaded upon the needles, the lower jack 17 raises the needle through the position of FIG. 2 to that of FIG. 3. Each of these positions is shown on FIG. 6 by section lines 2-2 and 3-3. As the needle approaches the position of FIG. 3, it contacts the surface 33 if it is out of plumb and is straightened thereby, or in any case, it contacts surface 34 and is there supported. Needles at that point are correctly held for transfer by the hold-in plate 28. All needles are supported perpendicularly even though some may not be loaded and would ordinarily be forced away from the cylinder slots by the pick up ends.

After the needle has passed the position shown at line 3-3 on FIG. 6, it will be seen that the upper jack 16 will be lowered to effect a transfer of the needle to the upper cylinder. The needle is then fully raised to draw a stitch and knitting will continue.

The instant invention provides a simple and sure means to aid in starting up following a press-off of the knitted fabric. It insures the perpendicular position of all the needles subsequent to their passing through the pick-up station and during their upward movement for effecting a knitting function or for transfer to the upper cylinder.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In an independent needle knitting machine, superimposed, aligned cylinders, needles carried by and movable in slots of said cylinders, needle jacks in each cylinder to control the vertical movement of the needles, cam means for actuating the needle jacks to cause their respective needles to assume a pick-up station position and subsequently to resume vertical movement, needle retaining means which includes a needle hold-in plate for containing the needles vertically during upward movement, said hold-in plate comprising an inwardly directed camming surface for straightening those needles urged outwardly from said cylinders, and a needle supporting surface extending concentrically with said cylinders, a bracket with retaining means for supporting said hold-in plate for horizontal movement toward and away from said cylinders, and an adjustment means for positioning said hold-in plate in any desired location within the limits of said retaining means.

2. The mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said retaining means includes a screw extending through a slot in said hold-in plate and into said bracket, and said adjustment means comprises a flanged screw assembled in said bracket with the flange thereof communicating with a groove in said hold-in plate for movement of the latter toward and away from said cylinders.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,327,398 8/1943 Bromley et a1 6614 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,315 1910 Great Britain. 19,315 1914 Great Britain.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN INDEPENDENT NEEDLE KNITTING MACHINE, SUPERIMPOSED, ALIGNED CYLINDERS, NEEDLES CARRIED BY AND MOVABLE IN SLOTS OF SAID CYLINDERS, NEEDLE JACKS IN EACH CYLINDER TO CONTROL THE VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF THE NEEDLES, CAM MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE NEEDLE JACKS TO CAUSE THEIR RESPECTIVE NEEDLES TO ASSUME A PICK-UP STATION POSITION AND SUBSEQUENTLY TO RESUME VERTICAL MOVEMENT, NEEDLE RETAINING MEANS WHICH INCLUDES A NEEDLE HOLD-IN PLATE FOR CONTAINING THE NEEDLES VERTICALLY DURING UPWARD MOVEMENT, SAID HOLD-IN PLATE COMPRISING AN INWARDLY DIRECTED CAMMING SURFACE FOR STRAIGHTENING THOSE NEEDLES URGED OUTWARDLY FROM SAID CYLINDERS, AND A NEEDLE SUPPORTING SURFACE EXTENDING CONCENTRICALLY WITH SAID CYLINDERS, A BRACKET WITH RETAINING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID HOLD-IN PLATE FOR HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID CYLINDERS, AND AN ADJUSTMENT MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID HOLD-IN PLATE IN ANY DESIRED LOCATION WITHIN THE LIMITS OF SAID RETAINING MEANS. 